Topline
A bipartisan group of senators aims to announce an initial agreement on gun control legislation—including strengthening background checks and boosting fed flag laws—as early as Sunday, CNN and the Washington Post report, following weeks of negotiations in the wake of two deadly shootings in Texas and New York.
Activists rally against gun violence outside the U.S. Capitol on June 6, 2022 in Washington, D.C. … [+]
Key Facts
The agreement’s outline, which is in principle only and hasn’t been written into legislative text yet, would provide funding to encourage states to pass red flag laws and would allow juvenile records to be searched in background checks for potential gun buyers under the age of 21, CNN first reported, citing people familiar with the discussions.
The agreement would also seek to clarify who needs a federal firearm license, which is a certification for gun dealers, the Post’s Leigh Ann Caldwell reported.
The outline also includes funding for school safety measures—a priority for Republicans—and language to expand behavioral health services that started as a pilot program in 10 states to all 50 states, according to CNN.
A source familiar with the talks told CNN the senators who negotiated the deal aim to get 10 Senate Republicans to endorse the agreement before it is officially announced, to show it can overcome the 60 votes needed to break the filibuster.
Representatives for Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), two of the lead negotiators in the discussions, did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Forbes.
Tangent
The House passed its own package of gun control measures in a largely party-line vote last week, including raising the minimum age to buy semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, banning high-capacity magazines and establishing storage requirements for gun owners. The proposals are unlikely to garner enough support among Republicans to overcome the Senate filibuster.
Key Background
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) asked Cornyn to lead conversations with Democrats on bipartisan gun legislation last month, days after a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, left 19 students and two teachers dead. Cornyn, Murphy and Sens. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) have been the main negotiators, along with a larger group of senators. President Joe Biden has called for raising the age to purchase semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21, renewing the federal assault weapons ban and repealing legislation that shields gunmakers from liability when their products are used in criminal acts, though those measures are likely not going to be included in the senators’ agreement.
Further Reading
Senators look to announce initial agreement on guns as soon as Sunday (CNN)
House Passes Sweeping Gun Control Measures—But Senate Republicans Will Spike Plan (Forbes)
Biden Urges Congress To Ban Assault Weapons: ‘We Can’t Fail The American People Again’ (Forbes)
McConnell Asks Texas GOP Sen. Cornyn To Work On Bipartisan Gun Legislation After Uvalde Massacre (Forbes)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/annakaplan/2022/06/12/senators-reportedly-planning-to-unveil-bipartisan-deal-on-gun-background-checks-red-flag-funding-today/